


Stretched Thin

by Redpanda18



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alpha Lee Jeno, Alpha Mark Lee (NCT), Alpha Park Jisung (NCT), Alpha Suh Youngho | Johnny, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Beta Huang Ren Jun, Beta Na Jaemin, Everyone Loves Lee Donghyuck | Haechan, Fights, Fluff and Angst, Huang Ren Jun & Lee Donghyuck | Haechan Are Best Friends, Hurt/Comfort, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan-centric, M/M, Mark Lee (NCT) is Whipped, Omega Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung, Omega Kim Jungwoo (NCT), Omega Lee Donghyuck | Haechan, Omega Verse, Protective Mark Lee (NCT), Scenting, Touch-Starved, True Mates, beta renjun, haechan/everyone, omega Chenle, omega drop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:40:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 19,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23767063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Redpanda18/pseuds/Redpanda18
Summary: Donghyuk is called full sun for a reason. He's always cheerful and high-energy and he's often the one taking care of others. However, he pushes himself too far this time watching out for everyone else and neglects his own wellbeing. It will take something big for Donghyuk to realize that the members are just as worried about him.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun & Lee Donghyuck | Haechan, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Lee Taeyong, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Suh Youngho | Johnny, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Zhong Chen Le
Comments: 38
Kudos: 691





	1. Chapter 1

Donghyuk is called full sun for a reason. He’s constantly full of energy and is almost always doing something silly to brighten up the mood. He’s loud with his affection and he pours his soul into things he loves so that everyone knows he cares. He may joke around a lot and have endless energy, but he knows how to be serious too. He knows when to be calm and how to listen. He knows how to use all the affection he has to be a good hyung and a good friend instead of his playful self that usually comes out. This is one of those times.

The dreamies have been under a lot of stress lately despite having just finished a comeback. They all expected things to slow down after the comeback ended, but it seems like nothing has changed. Everything is still moving at lightning speed and it barely feels like they have enough time in a day to get all they need done. The late-night practices haven’t stopped and Donghyuk can tell that his friends are exhausted by the way they lack enthusiasm when they attend variety shows. They’re usually so excited for them but lately, they’ve been dragging their feet and pulling on false smiles. It kills Donghyuk to see them suffering so he does what he can to help them out despite his own busy schedule and flipping between both Dream and NCT 127. He feels a little bad for not being totally present with 127, but most of the members haven’t noticed much of a change so it’s fine for now. On the rare occasion that they’re all gathered together, he sees how the older members check on the youngest subunit and dote on them and knows that he’s doing the right thing. He figures that’s a sign that he should continue being their pillar. As long as the other hyungs are doing it and they don’t notice a change in his own behavior than Donghyuk should be fine to continue as is.

The issue he’s concerned about most right now though is the fact that Chenle is starting his pre-heat. The second Donghyuk had walked into the Dreamie dorm that night, he had sensed, or rather smelled, a change in the atmosphere. That brings him to his current position of hovering over their living room sofas above the other five sleeping members.

Jeno and Jaemin are passed out together on one sofa with Renjun literally laying on top of them, and Jisung and Chenle are cuddled up to each other on the other sofa. It’s actually pretty cute and Donghyuk makes sure to take a picture of all of them before going to investigate anything. He goes around the sofa and approaches Jisung and Chenle first because that’s what his gut is telling him, and slightly sniffs the air. His suspicions are immediately confirmed. Chenle’s typical vanilla scent has become stronger and sweeter with a slightly sharp aftertaste. Donghyuk knows it’s only going to become even sweeter once his real heat hits. Chenle’s pre-heats always have a sharp edge before his scent rapidly becomes more sugary.

If he’s being totally honest, Donghyuk is more worried about Chenle’s heat this time around than ever before. The maknae line member hasn’t looked so good lately. It’s probably the lack of sleep and immense pressure weighing on him. The Chinese boy has always handled comebacks well and is usually fine under a lot of stress, but he looks so exhausted lately, more than normal, and it worries the older boy probably more than it should. His inner wolf is telling him that something is different, and Donghyuk knows better to ignore that sign. He takes another long look at Chenle, taking in his relaxed features and eye bags, before taking another whiff of the air just to be sure. Everyone else’s scents are stable for the most part which is a good sign. Jisung’s pine scent also has a slight edge to it but Donghyuk knows it’s because Jisung is feeling slightly protective of his friend so he doesn’t count that as something to worry about. Jaemin smells of cherries, as usual, Jeno smells like grapefruit, and Renjun smells of lemon. It’s close to the normal fruity and sweet blend they always have as a group so Donghyuk lets it pass for now. He makes sure to tell himself to check on Chenle before bed though.

The vocalist takes stock of all of them one more time before padding over to the light switch and flicking it on. He’s immediately met with a series of groans. 

“Noooo, turn it back off!” Renjun whines.

“Sorry, but I can’t do that. You guys need to shower and go to bed. It’s late.”   
  


“Can’t we just sleep here?” Jeno asks from underneath Renjun.

Donghyuk laughs at them.

“I know you don’t want to move but please do it, for me?”

Jaemin finally stirs and flips over onto his side to give Donghyuk his best doe eyes. The older boy just frowns. 

“No come on don’t give me that look! I’m trying to help you!” 

“You can help by just coming to lie down with us.”

“Come on, please? I know you guys already ate because I texted Chenle while I was with 127 and he said you guys were having dinner at that time. All you need to do is shower, it doesn’t even have to be that long, and then I’ll stop bothering you,” Donghyuk tries to reason.

Jeno opens his mouth to say something again but is interrupted by a sudden loud yawn. Jisung is staring back at him with a slightly dazed look and Donghyuk tries not to laugh. The young alpha hadn’t moved from his position though, probably not to disturb Chenle who is still fast asleep so he has to look above and slightly behind him to see Donghyuk.

“What’s going on?” The maknae asks groggily.

“You all are going to shower and then go to bed, that’s what’s happening,” The vocalist replies quietly.

There’s a beat of hesitation where all of them wait to see what Jisung does until the maknae just makes an affirmative sound. 

“Ok,” he whispers back.

  
  
“Ok?”

Donghyuk is slightly miffed at how agreeable Jisung is, usually, he’s the brattiest one, second only to Donghyuk himself at times. The other three seem to share this sentiment because Renjun even slides off of Jeno and Jaemin to stare at Jisung in shock. Jisung just rolls his eyes.

“Why are you all looking at me all weird?” 

“You usually never listen to us,” Jaemin sasses.

Jisung pouts at him, but then he seems to realize something and sighs quietly.

“What’s wrong?” Donghyuk immediately asks.

“Nothing, but that’s the weird part. I feel like something bad is about to happen even though everything seems normal. The only thing I can think of is that Lele’s heat is coming up but it smells like his usual ones so I’m confused,” Jisung admits.

“I know what you mean,” the dancer replies honestly because he does. He’s felt like that a lot recently. “How about you guys go shower and I’ll talk with Chenle for a little bit to see if something’s up?”

This time, everyone cooperates. He can smell their scents starting to shift in worry but he tells them to try not to. He reassures them all that it’ll be ok and watches them retreat to their own rooms or to the bathroom to get ready for bed. Jisung had somehow maneuvered himself out of Chenle’s grip without waking his friend up so Donghyuk sits near the Chinese boy’s head on the end of the sofa that’s not occupied. Up close, he can really see just how tired his dongsaeng is and he feels his heart pang in sympathy. He wants Chenle to get as much sleep as possible, and good quality sleep too, so he needs to wake him up. He also wants to just check in on how he’s doing as well so he gently places a hand on Chenle’s shoulder and shakes him slightly. It takes a few tries, but eventually, the maknae line member stirs awake.

He rubs at his eyes a few times and then slowly sits up as Donghyuk waits patiently. He waits until Chenle is mostly conscious and making eye contact before saying anything.

“Hey Lele how are you feeling?”   
  


“Hyung you’re back!” The younger smiles tiredly.

“Yeah I got back a few minutes ago.”

  
  
Chenle looks around the room and finally notices that it’s just the two of them.

“Where are the others?”   


  
“I sent them to go take a shower and go to bed because they stink and they look like they’re about to collapse.”

Chenle laughs at that.

“Yeah everyone looks really tired.”

“Yeah. How are you doing?” Donghyuk repeats.

“Me?”

  
  
“Yup.”

“Uhhh. Tired mostly.”   


  
The older omega immediately picks up on the younger’s uncertainty. 

“Is there something else? You know you can tell me anything right?”

“I do!” Chenle replies hastily. He looks at Donghyuk briefly before looking back down at his hands as he picks at his nails. 

“I know I can tell you or anyone in NCT anything. I just...don’t know how to say it? No wait that’s not right. It’s just something that I’m not used to talking about and I know you guys already know about my heats and everything but it’s still kinda weird for me to talk about it because my family never did so yeah…,” the omega trails off.

Donghyuk wastes no time in scooting closer to Chenle and pulling him in for a side hug. He’s always been better at expressing himself through affection.

“It's totally ok to be nervous about heats you know? I know it can be kinda embarrassing to talk about but we’ll never judge you. Is there something you’re worried about?”

  
  
Chenle starts playing with the bottom of Donghyuk’s shirt as he tries to think of what to say. Eventually, he decides on an answer and says it so quietly that Donghyuk almost missed it.

“I’m almost out of the pills that I use for my heats.”

“What do you take them for?” The older omega asks gently.

“I’ve always had pretty horrible heat cramps so I started taking pills for it in high school. My parents didn’t believe the pain was that bad until I begged them one day to take me to the doctor and that’s when they realized it was kinda serious. They’re not so severe that I wouldn’t be able to do anything because of the pain, but it’s serious enough that I take pills for it and they do help. But I only have like two left because I forgot to refill the prescription when I was home and I’m worried that this heat is going to really hurt since I don’t have enough medicine. And I know it will take forever to get them refilled especially since my parents are still kind of weird about helping me get them.”

Donghyuk hums sadly and pulls Chenle even closer. He subtly releases some of his calming pheromones as well when he smells Chenle’s scent start to become sour with all his bitter emotions coming through.

“I’m sorry you have to go through that. I know what it’s like to not have people believe your pain, and Lele I do believe you and I promise you that we’ll help. I know cuddling, especially with an alpha helps and I know Jisung or Jeno or really any of the hyungs would gladly help you. We’re also all here if you want us to scent you or just lay with you. The prescription thing is definitely complicated but I also take pills for heat cramps so I can always give you some of mine if you’re really worried about that.”

  
  
“Really?!”

  
  
Chenle looks at him with awe and disbelief, but then he suddenly turns serious.

“You take pills for your heats too?”

“Yeah. I actually get pretty severe heat cramps, I once passed out in high school from the pain. One of my classmates found me though and took me to the nurse’s office. That’s when my parents finally took me to the doctor and I got prescribed pills. I’ve never really told anyone though because I didn’t know how and to be honest I was kind of afraid to tell anyone. My pills might be a bit too strong for you, but I don’t think they will cause you any harm so I can definitely loan you some to help you get through this heat.

Chenle smiles gratefully at Donghyuk but the vocalist can tell that he wants to ask something else.

“There’s something else you want to ask me isn’t there?”

  
  
“Sorry, yeah,” Chenle admits sheepishly.

“It’s ok, you can ask, I’m not going to be offended or anything.

“So...does Mark know that you take medication?”

“...no.”

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to-,”

“It’s fine! I just haven’t had an opportunity to,” Donghyuk interrupts.

It’s not the entire truth because Donghyuk has definitely had the time to tell his best friend, but he chickened out every time. This is the only thing he’s never been able to tell Mark and he doesn’t know why. Chenle seems to sense his inner conflict and snuggles closer to provide comfort. Donghyuk smiles at him and starts playing with his blonde locks as the two of them just revel in each other’s presence. He just spilled his longest kept secret and it actually wasn’t so bad. Maybe he’ll even be able to tell everyone else, including Mark soon. He can only hope. For now, though, he’ll just focus on helping Chenle.

  
  
  
  


* * *

The first thing Donghyuk did the next morning was check on Chenle. Chenle had been sleeping with Jisung more often rather than his parents because of their busy schedules. Donghyuk and Jeno had agreed to let him stay with the youngest alpha as long as they kept their door unlocked and slightly ajar at all times. Chenle’s pre-heat smell had returned to normal so Donghyuk told the maknae line member that he could attend the fan sign as long as he was up to it. Chenle’s pre-heat usually lasts one whole day and then he goes into full heat for three days. As long as his cycle is normal then he’d be able to attend the fan sign today and then they can clear his schedule for the next three days.

Everything had gone smoothly that morning so Donghyuk was actually feeling pretty relaxed. He texted Mark and Taeyong that he’d be back for evening practice that morning too and had gotten a thumbs up from their leader. Mark still hadn’t responded though and Donghyuk wasn’t sure what to make of that. He’s currently sitting backstage with other NCT Dream members as they wait for the fan sign to begin. Jisung is helping Chenle put on his scent-blocking patches to help mask the fact that he’s in pre-heat, Jeno and Jaemin are watching some video together, and Renjun seems to be playing some kind of game on his phone next to Donghyuk. It all seems pretty normal so the oldest omega tries to relax.

He’s closed his eyes for maybe a minute to take a quick power nap when he feels someone poking his arm. He opens one eye and turns his head slightly to the side to stare at Renjun. His same age friend is giving him a concerned look and Donghyuk frowns. He doesn’t think he looks like he’s in bad shape.

“Is everything ok?”

  
  
“Yeah why?”

“I know that everyone’s been exhausted lately, and I thought I was tired, but then I remembered that you have to do everything we do on top of being a part of 127 too and I just...yeah. Are you ok?”

Renjun is giving him such a sincere look and even though he phrased it awkwardly, Donghyuk knows he’s trying to show he cares. 

“Awww you do care!”

The beta gives him a blank look, but then he smirks.

“I guess you could say that. Now seriously, answer the question!”

  
  
“Ok ok. Yeah I’m pretty tired. But once things slow down I think it’ll be ok. It’s not that big a deal though, I mean everyone’s tired.”

  
  
Renjun gives Donghyuk a neutral look and the two of them hold solid eye contact, each trying to read one another when one of the staff yells at them that it’s time. Renjun suddenly grabs onto Donghyuk’s sleeve and just holds onto him for a couple of seconds before eventually letting go. He lets out a quick sigh and then steps away from the omega to go head to the stage. Donghyuk isn’t about to let this go that easily. He jogs up to Renjun and follows him to his seat behind one of the tables. Luckily, they’re one of the first ones out so Donghyuk can easily snag an open seat next to the beta. Renjun actively tries not to make eye contact with him though. Donghyuk waits until the rest of the members are seated and puts on a nice smile for the fans for a couple of minutes before attempting to get Renjun’s attention.

The omega lightly taps Renjun’s foot with his own under the table. The beta sneaks a glance at him before looking forwards again and waving at the fans.

“Is everything ok?” Donghyuk repeats Renjun’s question from earlier.

He notices how the beta starts to squirm and how his scent starts to take on a hint of anxiety. The vocalist is curious and kind of worried because Renjun is usually so open with him, but he knows better than to pressure his friend right now. Maybe they can talk later. Donghyuk decides to make peace with his friend and calm him down by opting to hang off his arm in a clingy gesture. Renjun initially tries to pull back out of confusion, but once he realizes Donghyuk isn’t about to let go anytime soon, he just embraces it. He hears some of the fans coo at them and the click of camera shutters, but all that he cares about now is how Renjun seems to be more at ease.

After that, things go relatively smoothly. The announcer introduces them, allows them to answer some questions, they dance to two songs the fans want to see, and then the signing begins. With Renjun back to his normal self, for now, Donghyuk shifts his focus to the other members. Jeno is giving his infectious smile and effectively melting the hearts of all the fans, Jaemin seems to be having a good conversation with another fan, Jisung is playing around with some bubble gun that fan gave him, and Chenle is busy signing some girl’s album. The only problem is that the youngest omega is very tense. Donghyuk is too far away to smell any changes, and that combined with the fact that Chenle is wearing scent-blockers doesn’t help. He doesn’t need his nose to figure out that something’s wrong though.

Donghyuk finishes signing the album in front of him and allows the girl to put a cute headband on him before looking for Chenle again. The Chinese boy is doing a good job of appearing to be fine and happy for the fans, but Donghyuk and the other members can tell something is up. Jisung, who’s sitting right next to him, subtly reaches under the table, probably to take Chenle’s hand, but Donghyuk can’t tell from his angle and it’s driving him crazy. He considers switching seats with Jising or Jeno but that might cause a disturbance. He needs to think of another way to find out what’s going on before he does anything, so he ends up elbowing Jaemin in the ribs.

“Ow!” Jaemin hisses at him quietly.

He gives Donghyuk a glare but the other just plays it off as a joke and tells the fans in front of both of them how easy Jaemin is to tease. The other beta now looks more confused than annoyed. Donghyuk waits until they’ve both finished visiting with their fans before quickly whispering in Jaemin’s ear.

“I need you to tell me what’s going on with Chenle. He looks tense.”

The rapper’s eyes widen in understanding and he nods back. Jaemin bounces between talking with fans, signing albums, and checking on Chenle for the next couple of minutes. Jisung is on his right but when he leans all the way forward or back he can see Chenle more clearly. So far he’s witnessed Jisung holding the omega’s hand when he can and he’s seen how Chenle has stated resting his right arm across his lower stomach. When he’s not signing anything, Jaemin has caught him using his right arm to squeeze his stomach. He appears to be in pain. That’s when he realizes. Chenle’s having heat cramps. He literally started his pre-heat yesterday, how come he didn't notice earlier?

The rapper looks back one more time to confirm before telling Donghyuk anything. The older omega seems worried enough already so Jaemin wants to make sure he's right before saying anything. He watches as Jisung subconsciously moves closer to his friend and he notices how Jeno rests a hand on Chenle’s shoulder and gives him a worried look after his fan moves on. That’s all the evidence he needs. Jaemin lightly taps Donghyuk’s shoulder when the other is between saying goodby to a fan and receiving another one. Donghyuk looks back at him expectantly and Jaemin quickly leans in to whisper in his ear.

“Chenle’s having heat cramps. I think he’s really starting to hurt.”

  
  
Jaemin watches Donghyuk suck in a short breath at the news, but he does well to mask his worry. He obviously doesn’t want to let the fans know that anything is wrong. Fortunately, Donghyuk packed his heat pills in his bag that morning just in case, unfortunately, his bag is backstage.

“What time is it?” Donghyuk asks neutrally while smiling at the next fan.

“We’ve got about forty minutes left,” Jaemin quickly replies before the fan can hear. 

Donghyuk nods. He just hopes that Chenle can hold out for a little longer. He feels horrible because he had told the younger yesterday that he would help him, and now he’s just going to have to let him suffer. If one of them gets up it would look even more suspicious than what’s already happening. Donghyuk already knows fans will be asking about Chenle’s condition later and he doesn’t want to create more gossip.

The next forty minutes pass by at a snail’s pace. Donghyuk has to continuously tell himself to remain calm in order for his scent to not portray the anxiety he’s really feeling. He knows the other members are feeling the same way with how their scents start to flicker occasionally, he just hopes the fans don’t notice it too much. He can smell how all of them are doing their best to keep their scents stable but there are moments when it wavers and Donghyuk can tell that they’re all on edge, especially Chenle. He can smell the omega more clearly now which means the scent blockers are wearing off. He just prays they last for a few more minutes.

After the last fan finishes up with Renjun, they all stand up and make their way around the tables to say their goodbyes. It takes everything Donghyuk has to not immediately rush to Chenle’s side. They all hold it together and cheerfully say goodbye to the fans and thank them for coming before bowing. Donghyuk intentionally takes a long time saying goodbye because they are exiting the stage on his side, so he can catch up to Chenle. Luckily, the other members seem to catch on and go ahead of them. The vocalist casually wraps and arm around the maknae line member’s waist when he gets close enough and the two of them slowly make their way backstage. The second they’re out of earshot and eyesight of the crowd, Chenle melts against him. It’s a good thing Donghyuk already had an arm around his waist, otherwise, he would have fallen.

Donghyuk leans down to get a better look at Chenle’s condition. The other boy’s eyes are closed and he’s taking short, calculated breaths. Donghyuk slowly guides him over to a sofa and has him sit down. Chenle is pliant in his hold and just lets Donghyuk move his body for him. He keeps his eyes closed the entire time until he feels Donghyuk sit down next to him. That’s when he suddenly flops over onto Donghyuk’s lap and curls up on himself. The omega is clutching his stomach in pain and has tucked his knees up onto the sofa. 

“Lele?” The older omega asks worriedly.

Donghyuk rubs up and down Chenle’s arm in a soothing gesture and tries to release some calming pheromones as well. He watches as the other members hover over them worriedly and he smells Jaemin and Renjun also release their own soothing pheromones in an effort to provide comfort. Jisung and Jeno look conflicted but they still draw closer to try and be there for the younger member. 

“M-my stomach,” Chenle stutters out. 

He opens his eyes and gives Donghyuk a desperate look. 

“Jisung. I need you to dig through my bag and bring me a bottle of pills. It’s in the main pocket, it’s an orange bottle,” Donghyuk commands calmly.

The alpha nods and dashes across the room to rummage through Donghyuk’s bag. While he’s frantically searching, Donghyuk continues to try and get Chenle to talk to him and help ease his pain.

“Is it heat cramps?”   


  
Chenle nods, it’s short and curt because he wants to move as little as possible.

“I thought I could make it. It started to hurt when we were dancing but I thought I’d be ok and then it got worse and then a fan noticed and now-,” the younger rambles.

“Hey, it’s ok. I’m sure the fan was just worried it’s going to be ok. I’m sorry I didn’t help you earlier. Jisung’s looking for my pills right now and then you take them. It’ll help with the cramps, does that sound good?” 

“Yeah,” Chenle sniffles.

“I found it!” Jisung yells.

He runs back with the pills and water bottle in hand. The alpha moves to step back, but Donghyuk gestures for him to sit down on the other end of the sofa where Chenle’s feet are.

“I’m going to move him to you so I can open this and have him take two. Plus, it’s better if you hold him anyway,” Donghyuk says kindly. 

Jisung just nods and stays ridiculously still as Donghyuk gently moves Chenle over to Jisung. The alpha holds his friend upright and treats him like glass as Donghyuk has the omega swallow two of the pills. He’s only got three left now, but that should be enough so he’s not too worried. Once Donghyuk has made sure Chenle’s able to keep the pills down, he lets him lay back down and be cuddled by everyone. Jisung still has the most contact with the other maknae as he’s literally in his lap, but the others make a point of touching him in some kind of way to let him know that they’re there. Chenle’s sniffles have faded as a result of him not being overwhelmed and in a lot of pain anymore, but now they have a different problem.

Although the omega’s scent isn’t giving off distressed vibes anymore, it’s becoming sweeter by the second. He’s going into his real heat soon. Donghyuk subtly pulls his phone out from his back pocket to check the time. It’s almost four. The Dreamies don’t have anything else scheduled for the day, but Donghyuk has to go to dance practice with 127 soon. He wants to stay with Chenle for the rest of the day, but he knows he can’t. The best he can do right now is to get all of them back to the dorm as soon as possible.

Donghyuk recruits Jeno to help him with this task, and it takes them a while, but they eventually get everyone to pack up pretty quickly so they can all head back. Jisung carries Chenle to the car and the ride back is silent. The Chinese boy had fallen asleep pretty quickly after the meds kicked in and no one wanted to wake him. When they finally get back, Jisung is the one to carry the omega again. But when Jeno and Donghyuk try to separate the two, that’s when there’s another problem. They had allowed the young alpha to carry Chenle to their designated heat room, but after he had put him down, Jisung refused to move.

“Sungie come on you know you can’t stay! He’s going into heat and you guys are too young to mate yet,” Donghyuk tries to reason.

Jeno moves forward to try and physically get a grip on the younger, but Jisung glares at him. Jeno halts his movements because he knows that Jisung’s alpha is pretty agitated right now and he does not want to start a fight. In the end, it’s Renjun who ends up saving the day. He walks right up to the bed where Jisung is blocking them from getting to Chenle, and gently, but firmly pulls Jisung down to his eye level by the front of his shirt.

“You need to calm down. I know you want to watch over Lele because of what happened, but you can’t do it properly like this. You don’t want to hurt him right? You can still take care of him from a distance, but it’s dangerous for you guys to be like this when he’s in heat. Now come on, you can help me get him some food or something,” Renjun states nonchalantly.

Even though Jisung is technically higher ranking than Renjun as an alpha, his inner alpha seems to acknowledge Renjun and he instantly calms down. His scent becomes less aggressive and he allows the beta to pull him away from the bed and out of the room. Jeno and Donghyuk watch in shock, but otherwise don’t say anything. Donghyuk looks over at the bed at Chenle’s sleeping form for another minute until Jeno forcefully grabs him by the hand and pulls him out, shutting the door behind them.

“He’ll be fine,” Jeno smiles.

“I know I know, but I like making sure.”

“Anyway, thank goodness for Injunie though. I didn’t want to start anything because I thought Jisung might take it as a challenge.”

“Yeah that was a good move,” Donghyuk muses.

“Hyuk!” Someone yells.

Jeno smirks at him.

“Your phone is ringing!” The voice calls again.

“Yeah I can hear that!” Donghyuk sasses.

When he emerges into the living room he’s met with Jaemin rolling his eyes at him as the rapper hands Donghyuk his phone. It’s Mark. He swipes to accept the call and brings the phone up to his ear.

“Hello?”

  
  
“Hey, do you have time to meet right before practice?”   


“Yeah I’m actually free right now why?”

  
  
“Come to the 127 dorm, the first floor.”

  
  
“Is everything ok?”

  
  
“Yeah I just need to talk to you about something really quick.”

  
  
“Ok. I’ll be there in a little bit.”

  
  
To be completely honest, he’s super nervous now. Mark wasn’t acting like himself and it’s stressing him out.  _ Did he do something wrong?  _ Donghyuk grabs his bag from off the kitchen counter and heads towards the door. 

“Leaving already?” Jaemin asks.

“Yeah Mark asked me to meet with him before practice. Are you guys going to be ok?”

  
  
“Yeah we’ve got it! We’re not complete children,” Jaemin teases.

“You could’ve fooled me.”

“Whatever, get out of here. We’ve got it covered. I’ll text you on how Chenle’s doing later.”

“Thank Nana!”

“Bye!”

Jeno waves at Donghyuk before he leaves and with that, he lets the door shut behind him. Today’s already been chaotic enough, he just hopes that whatever Mark wants to talk about isn’t too serious. He has a feeling that if it isn’t the simple talk he thinks it’s going to be, then they’ll have a problem.


	2. Chapter 2

Donghyuk has no idea what to expect as he heads over to the 127 dorms. He doesn’t think he’s done anything wrong and he can’t think of anything that Mark and him may have fought over recently. It’s making him anxious but he tries not to let it affect him too much. He even makes sure to check his scent by smelling the scent gland on his wrist before going in. He doesn’t want to portray any nervousness. 

When Donghyuk steps into the first floor of the dorm, he’s greeted by Mark who’s pacing in the middle of the living room. More accurately, he’s just standing in one place and shifting his weight back and forth as he scrolls through his phone. Donghyuk knows that he’s not really paying attention to whatever he’s looking at though because he’s scrolling way too fast. The omega drops his bag on to the dining room table before heading to the living room and sitting on the armrest of the sofa.

“Hey.”

  
  
Mark instantly stops pacing and gives Donghyuk a weak smile. The omega had expected him to be startled that he suddenly showed up because he didn’t acknowledge his presence earlier, but the alpha remains calm and collected.

“Hey,” he repeats back.

“Is there something you want to talk about?”

“Yeah but I mainly just wanted to check on you first.”

The vocalist tilts his head in confusion.

“What do you mean?”

  
  
Mark sighs and gestures for Donghyuk to scoot over so he’s sitting on the sofa and not the armrest. Donghyuk quietly agrees and lets the alpha take a seat next to him on his left.

“You’ve been kinda out of it recently like you always seem tired and like you have no energy. Whenever I see you with Dream though you’re always way more active and you’re all over them. Did something happen? Are you not comfortable with us anymore? Did I do something?” Mark starts to ramble.

  
Donghyuk is simultaneously touched and saddened that Mark is thinking so much into his behavior. He has to cut him off before he jumps to conclusions though.

“No! No, that’s not it. I just-,” Donghyuk pauses. He doesn’t want to make it seem like the Dreamies are a burden to him because they definitely aren’t, he’s just been more concerned about them lately. He tries to be strong for them because he wants to help all of them, but that leaves him exhausted sometimes with 127. Apparently he’s not as subtle with hiding his behavior as he thinks.

“It’s just that the Dreamies have been going through a rough time. We all thought that things would slow down now that our comeback is over, but nothing’s changed. We needed a break after that, but we didn’t get it and now everyone is kinda struggling,” the vocalist finishes.

Donghyuk doesn’t realize, but his scent is starting to sour the more frustrated he gets talking about what’s going on. Mark reaches out and gently rests his hand on omega’s thigh to try and provide some comfort. He knows that Hyuk responds best to affection and physical contact so he tries to get through to his friend that way. Fortunately, Donghyuk seems to physically relax without realizing it, but his scent doesn’t improve. 

  
Donghyuk continues to fill Mark in on everything that’s been happening from him staying up late to talk with what the other members are worried about, from Renjun acting weird at the fan sign, to Chenle going into heat the other day. The more he talks, the more Mark starts to understand why his friend has been so tired lately and the more he wants to help both him and the rest of the Dreamies. He had no idea they were struggling this bad and he didn’t realize that Donghyuk was trying to deal with it all by himself. He’s confused as to why he hasn’t asked for help earlier from his hyungs on the other members. Surely they could have all supported each other?

“Hyuk,” Mark cuts in.

“Yeah?” 

“Have you talked about this with any of them? I know you want to help all of them but you can’t do it all by yourself. It’s just going to get harder, and with Chenle in heat that may add more pressure. You need to help yourself too. I’m sure the other members are just as worried about you, do you not trust them?”

The omega averts his gaze and starts looking around the room as he contemplates what Mark told him. The alpha starts drawing random shapes with his fingers on his leg as he waits for Donghyuk to say something. Eventually, the 00 liner musters up the courage to say something, although it is with hesitation.

“I can’t ask them to do that. They’re already tired enough, I can do it.”

  
  
“Hyuk come on. No you can’t. You’re going to run yourself into the ground if you keep doing this! Just let us help you! You don’t have to do it by yourself. We used to do everything together!” Mark says firmly.

Donghyuk is looking at him guiltily but he doesn’t say anything which just serves to make Mark even more frustrated. The alpha opens his mouth to say something when his phone starts buzzing. It’s Taeyong. He sent everyone a text telling them to be in the practice room in ten minutes which means they need to leave now. Mark lets out a deep sigh and stands up, heading to the door silently. He wants to talk more with Donghyuk so he can knock some sense into his friend about not having to do everything alone, but they’ve got to go to practice and he’s starting to get too emotional to talk with his friend reasonably. It can wait. 

  
  


The alpha sees Donghyuk’s bag laying on the dining room table and grabs one of the straps to take it with him. Unfortunately, Donghyuk’s bag is not zipped all the way so when Mark scoops it off the table a bunch of stuff spills out. Mark stops in his tracks when he hears the items hit the floor and goes to put the bag down on the kitchen table. He hears Donghyuk’s hurried footsteps as his friend rushes forward to clean everything up, and when he turns around again he’s met with the sight of Donghyuk frantically scrambling through all the fallen items.

Mark quickly gets on his knees to help his friend search when he feels something roll into his leg as Donghyuk shoves a hoodie out of the way. It’s an orange pill bottle. The rapper quickly picks it up and brings it to his face. There’s no label on it so he has no idea what it is, Donghyuk must have taken the label off. When he looks up a moment later he sees Donghyuk staring at him with wide, panicked eyes. His scent has spiked and the alpha can tell he’s extremely anxious now, but he needs to know what’s going on.

“Hyuk what is this?”

The omega swallows thickly and slowly stands up, not making eye contact the whole time.

“It’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing. I’ve known you for years Hyukie, I never knew you took medication for anything? Is it serious?” 

Mark’s scent starts to take on a sharp edge as he increasingly becomes more worried. Unfortunately, Donghyuk does not interpret his concern well and he starts to become defensive.

“It’s none of your business,” the omega bites out.

Mark frowns at the sudden aggression and he feels more than smells as he starts to release alpha pheromones as his alpha tells him to take control of the situation.

“What do you mean it’s none of my business? You’re my friend! You used to tell me everything!”

  
Donghyuk raises his hands in frustration and glares at the alpha.

“I don’t know what to tell you Mark! Why do you want to know so bad?!”

  
  
“Just tell me the truth! Why are you being so defensive? I thought we didn’t keep secrets?!” The rapper yells.

Logically, Mark knows that he probably went too far, using his long relationship with Donghyuk to guilt him into an answer, but his emotions are going haywire right now. His friend seems to be suffering the same fate if his answer is anything to go by.

“Don’t act like you care! You’re only saying this because your biology is telling you to help me!”

Donghyuk seems to realize what he just said and steps back in shock, but it’s too late. The alpha’s pheromones start to become overpowering as Mark feels the anger course through his veins. He’s angry that Donghyuk won’t tell him anything and he feels betrayed for some reason as if Donghyuk doesn’t trust him and that doesn’t settle well with his alpha. But he’s mostly hurt by the fact that Donghyuk thinks he’s only helping him because Alpha’s are naturally inclined to take care of omegas. He thought their relationship was deeper than that. 

Meanwhile, Donghyuk struggles to keep his breathing even as the aggressive pheromones lay heavy in the air. He can smell his own scent laced with anger and fear start to mix with Mark’s scent and it’s becoming too much. He needs to do something before he either passes out or Mark goes full alpha on him.

He looks up at the ceiling as he tries to get his emotions in control before just blurting out,

“They’re my heat pills ok!?” 

His anger starts to fade at the confession, but now he just feels upset. Mark says nothing so Donghyuk continues.

“I take them for my heat cramps, they started getting really intense in high school so that’s when I started taking them. That’s what they’re for.”

  
  
It seems like an eternity that Donghyuk stares into Mark’s eyes, panting heavily as he tries not to pass out. But eventually, the alpha speaks, however, it isn’t the answer the omega is expecting.

“That’s it?”

  
  
“What?”

  
  
“Why did you get so defensive over taking heat pills? And why did you hide it from me for so long?” The alpha asks, his scent starting to fluctuate between anger and hurt.

“Are you serious!?” Donghyuk shouts angrily.

He’s deeply offended by Mark's reaction so his first response is to reply with all the pent up anger he’s been feeling.  _ How could Mark be so insensitive? It was hard enough to tell him what they were for in the first place! There was a reason he didn’t tell him before and now he’s just going to act like his problem isn’t a big deal?  _ Donghyuk can feel the extreme irritation he’s feeling down to his bones and he knows he needs to leave before he says something else he regrets or things escalate. 

The omega stiffly walks to the kitchen counter, grabs his bag, and heads for the door. He can feel Mark’s eyes boring into him the whole time but he doesn’t look at him or say anything because he knows he’ll either say something stupid or break down.

“Where are you going?” The alpha asks sternly.

His scent has started to become less potent even if his tone is still harsh, and Donghyuk knows he’s making the right decision. They need to be apart so they can both calm down.

“Practice,” is all the omega gets out before he finally escapes the room.

He’s aware that he no longer has access to his pills, but that’s the least of his problems now. The emotions of their fight have finally caught up to him and now all he wants to do is throw something at a wall and cry his heart out. The anger is gone and now it’s been replaced by hurt and sorrow for everything that’s gone wrong, not just today, but this whole month. His heart hurts and he has no idea how he’s going to pull off being ok at practice. He’s only got five minutes to sort everything out as he walks to the building, so he needs to do something. Donghyuk doesn’t even bother hiding his tears or his distressed scent that he’s sure he’s letting off. He’s only got five minutes until he has to go back to being his usual self, so he’ll let himself feel everything until then; after that, he can’t let anyone know what’s wrong.

  
  
  
  


* * *

Johnny immediately knows something is wrong the second his dongsaeng walks into the practice room. He’s got the hood of his favorite red checkered jacket pulled over his head, but Jonny already saw his face. He’s clearly been crying and his hunched shoulders tell the alpha that he's still upset. Donghyuk goes to sit in the corner of the room by himself and that’s another clear sign that he’s not ok. He’s almost always hanging off of one of his hyungs, especially Mark, but Mark isn’t in sight and Donghyuk seems to be avoiding all of them.

Johnny calmly makes his way over to the maknae and slowly crouches in front of him. The omega watches him with tired, puffy eyes but doesn’t make any movements. Now that Johnny’s close enough he can also tell that the omega is intentionally restraining his scent. It’s weaker than normal but because Johnny is close he can still smell traces of distress and sadness. The alpha can also tell that the vocalist is struggling to suppress his scent, something omega’s do when they feel threatened, and it’s not settling well with Johnny. 

“Hey, Hyukie are you ok?” The alpha asks gently.

Everyone knows the 00 liner craves affection so Johnny figures he’ll give the omega a hug to help comfort him, but when he moves forward, the younger boy flinches and pulls his knees up to look smaller. The rapper stops his movements once he realizes his friend doesn’t want to be touched and scooches back to give him some space. 

“Sorry hyung I just don’t feel very good.”

  
  
“It’s ok! Do you need to sit out-”

  
  
“No!” Donghyuk interrupts frantically. 

“Uh...”

  
  
“I’m fine. I’ll be fine. I don’t need to sit out.”

All Johnny wants to do is wrap Donghyuk up in a tight hug and scent him until he no longer smells upset, but the omega seems a little too on edge for that right now. Plus, Taehyong just yelled at them to get set up for practice. He sees Donghyuk’s eyes flicker over to the side and sees Mark step into position for the first song. That’s when he knows he needs to move to let Donghyuk get ready and that’s also when he figures out that Donghyuk and Mark are fighting. He had seen how tense both boys got when they accidentally made eye-contact and how their scents had both flickered anger. It was over before anyone noticed, but Johnny was paying attention to their every movement so he noticed. He just hopes that they’ll be over to sort it out soon.

They’re three hours into dance practice when the other members start to catch on. The atmosphere has become tenser with multiple members starting to watch Mark and Donghyuk worriedly. The two are avoiding each other like the plague and the omegas of 127 have started to pick up on Donghyuk’s concerningly submissive behavior. He’s been shying away from all of them and the omegas have realized by now that Donghyuk is trying to suppress his scent to look less like prey. He won’t let any of them touch him and when Mark is anywhere remotely close to him, the omega scurries away. The young alpha doesn’t even acknowledge this odd behavior though.

Taeyong desperately wants to do something to help his dongsaeng but he can’t. They’ve only got fifteen minutes left now so it’s too late for him to do anything useful and their choreographer is being extra strict today. He doesn’t seem to care that they’re all exhausted or the fact that two of the members are clearly suffering. The leader had noticed all the dangerous signs their youngest member was exhibiting and how Mark had been giving off an angry, albeit weak, scent the entire practice. Something pretty serious happened between the two of them and it’s hurting both of them as well as the other members. He can’t do anything now, so it’ll just have to wait. Taeyong spends the rest of the time trying to keep his scent stable for the sake of the team and subtly checking on both Donghyuk and Mark. It seems like he’s not the only one doing it either as he continuously catches both Johnny and Doyoung watching the youngest members.

When their choreographer finally dismisses them, Donghyuk feels like he’s been hit by a truck. Everything hurts and he feels hotter than usual. His skin feels itchy all over and whenever he’s near someone and they touch it actually stings. He doesn’t mean to avoid the members, but it physically hurts him to touch for some reason. He doesn’t know why it’s happening but he hopes it goes away because he misses being cuddled and hugged. They’re all packing up to head back to the dorm when he hears footsteps approaching. Donghyuk knows that his friends would never hurt him, but after everything that’s happened today, his inner omega is causing him to be wary of everyone. When Taeyong and Johnny approach him, he can’t help how he shrinks back but he does. 

Fortunately, Taeyong and Johnny don’t seem offended, unfortunately, they’re definitely going to ask him questions now. Taeyong gives Donghyuk a friendly smile and helps the omega pack his things, as his hands seem to be trembling too much. The alpha makes sure not to touch Donghyuk though, which he both appreciates and is saddened by. When they’re done Taeyong picks up his backpack and Johnny hovers close to his side, but not close enough to touch.

“Hyung you don’t have to carry my bag, I've got it,” Donghyuk weakly protests.

“It’s fine Hyukie, let us help you!” The leader smiles.

_ That’s what Mark said too. _ At that realization, Donghyuk starts to feel his emotions start to flood him and his control over suppressing his scent starts to slip. He blinks rapidly and physically stops walking so he can focus on restraining his scent. He closes his eyes to help him put up the mental barrier he needs to block his scent when he suddenly doubles over in pain. It feels like someone just stabbed him in the stomach and is twisting the knife. The omega clutches his stomach in pain and stays bent over until the pain subsides a moment later. When he opens his eyes again and straightens he’s met with the concerned faces of Taeyong and Johnny. Both alphas have a hand out ready to grab each of Donghyuk’s arms to support him. They haven’t grabbed him yet but Donghyuk can tell that they want to. He smiles weakly at the two older males and waves them off before starting towards the door. The alphas reluctantly follow him and stay close to him but not close enough that he feels anxious or suffocated. 

No one is outside when the three of them exit the building and Donghyuk looks around, confused.

“I told them to go on ahead,” Taeyong supplies.

“Oh.”

  
  
Donghyuk knows what that means. He’s left alone with their leader and Jonny, who’s pretty much like his second Dad, so that they can interrogate him. He doesn’t want to talk about what happened though. The fight is still fresh in his mind and he’d rather cry about it alone when his omega isn’t so on edge. Normally he wouldn’t mind being vulnerable in front of his hyungs but now is not the time. He can’t even fight off the urge to avoid touching them. 

The three of them start walking with Taeyong in the front and Johnny right next to him, but the alphas don’t talk. Even though it’s silent, Donghyuk somehow doesn’t feel awkward or tense. Johnny keeps smiling at him reassuringly and even though the omega can tell the alpha wants to hug him and hold him in some way, he restrains himself. Taeyong also helps ease his anxiety when he tells the maknae that he doesn’t have to talk about it if he doesn’t want to. Of course, they will eventually have to talk, but the leader assures him that he doesn’t have to at the moment.

When they’re almost back to the apartments Donghyuk stops abruptly. Johnny looks at him questioningly and Taeyong turns around once he realizes the other two aren’t following him.

“What’s wrong?”

  
  
“I don’t think I can do it.”

  
  
Johnny furrows his brows in confusion before seeming to realize something.

“You mean be around Mark?”

“I’m sorry, I know it’s dumb but-,” Donghyuk starts.

“Hyuk,” Taeyong interrupts softly. “It’s fine. We understand. But can you at least let one of us walk you to the Dream dorm?”

“Yeah ok.”

The two alphas share a look and it is eventually decided that Johnny will take Donghyuk back. Taeyong gives him a fond look before leaving and the omega desperately tries not to cry at the sudden display of affection. On the way to the Dream dorm, Johnny remains silent again and Donghyuk thinks he won’t say anything until he finally clears his throat a few paces away from the building. 

“Donghyuk.”

The rapper just used his full name. It must be serious. The omega stops and looks the older males in the eyes. He looks really worried and Donghyuk feels guilt start to claw at his stomach.

“I won’t ask you if you’re ok because I know you’re not. I don’t know what happened between you and Mark, but you can always talk to us! Today...I don’t know if you’ve noticed but I think you’re touch starved. It may be from what happened between you two or something else, but Hyuk, please let us help,” the alpha begs sincerely. “We’re worried about you and Taeyong was afraid you were about to drop during practice.”

“Oh. I didn’t realize,” is all Donghyuk can say because he really didn’t know. He knew he wasn’t feeling great but he didn’t realize that he was touch starved or that he was potentially experiencing a drop.

The alpha steps closer to him, and this time, Donghyuk doesn’t flinch.

“I know it sounds obvious, but the best way to help with the touch starvation is for you to let someone cuddle with you or scent you or just show you some physical affection for a little bit. It doesn’t have to be me, but please let some of us help you. I know it hurts for us to touch you right now because it seems like it’s pretty severe, but I promise it’ll get better.”

  
  
The vocalist sees how genuine his hyung is and starts to think that maybe it’s ok to lean on his friends a little. He’s apparently not as good at hiding his pain as he thought if today was any indication. 

“Ok hyung, I will!” 

The alpha sighs in relief and turns to leave, but before he can Donghyuk runs up and hugs him. He feels Johnny stumble a little bit at the sudden added weight, but he’s quick to turn around and readjust them so it's a real hug rather than a side one. Johnny was right. It is painful initially and Donghyuk can feel his skin start to burn at the sensation and he has to fight the feeling to pull back. After a few seconds though the burn fades into a numb feeling and his body relaxes into the embrace as Johnny holds him close and pets the top of his head. It’s actually quite nice. The alpha is holding him firmly in a way that makes him feel secure and sleepy. 

“Hey don’t fall asleep yet!” The rapper laughs.

“Mmmmm but I’m tired,” Donghyuk whines. 

“You’re ridiculous,” the alpha says, but it’s more playful than anything. 

He ends up giving Donghyuk a piggyback to their dorm and Jaemin doesn’t even question them when he opens the door. The omega can tell that Jaemin is curious but he knows better than to grill his friend right now so he just nods at Johnny as he carries Donghyuk to his and Renjun’s room.

Renjun is scrolling through his phone when Johnny pops into their room and he gives their hyung a surprised look when they appear. The alpha mouths something that Renjun thinks is “take care of him” and he nods. The beta watches as Johnny gently helps Donghyuk off his back and lays him down on the bed. The 00 liner is obviously exhausted because he simply rolls over once he’s down and promptly goes to sleep. Johnny ruffles his hair affectionately before quietly heading over to Renjun’s bed. The beta looks up at his hyung worriedly.

“Is he ok?”

  
  
“Not really. Something happened between him and Mark. I don’t know what though. He was touch starved today and Taeyong was worried he might drop because he started suppressing his scent and avoided contact with us. I told him to let you guys cuddle him though so he should be more open to that, but please just watch over him and fill in the others if you can,” the rapper whispers.

  
  
“Got it hyung. I’ll make sure he eats something in the morning too since it looks like he won’t be waking up anytime soon.”

  
  
“Thanks Renjun-ah.”

  
  
“No problem!”

Renjun gives Johnny a bright smile and a thumbs up to which the other nods at him and then leaves quietly. The beta silently gets up and crosses the room to turn off the light. They’re now left in darkness and Renjun has to feel his way around with his foot to get to Donghyuk’s side. He gets there after a few tries and slowly slides himself on the bed next to his sleeping friend so they’re back to back. He’s dealt with touch starved omegas before so he has an idea of what to do. It would be best if they could cuddle but Donghyuk isn’t exactly conscious enough to do that right now so it’ll do.

The beta closes his eyes and is about to drift off to sleep when Donghyuk suddenly flips over. Renjun lets out a squeak of surprise which in turn wakes Donghyuk up who also startles backward. Renjun also flips over to make wide-eyed eye contact before the two end up laughing at each other.

“You scared me!” The omega accuses. 

“It’s not my fault you suddenly rolled over!”

  
  
“Wow, I’m sorry for inconveniencing you with my normal sleep habit,” Donghyuk sasses.

  
Renjun gives him an unamused glare that really looks more like a childish pout. But then he breaks into a grin a second later.

“What? Why are you smiling like that?”

  
  
“Because you’re being sassy again! I’ve kinda missed it. I’ve missed you.”

Donghyuk blinks in surprise. Renjun has always been straightforward, but Donghyuk wasn’t expecting him to be so honest about his feelings. It’s endearing though. He’s been with the Dreamies a lot so Donghyuk knows that when Renjun said he missed him he didn’t mean miss him physically, but probably more like he missed seeing Donghyuk as his usual cheerful self.

The fellow 00 liner just hums in response. He misses how he used to be too. Renjun seems to sense that the mood has become more somber so he speaks up.

“Let’s cuddle,” he whispers.

“Wow someone’s needy today,” Donghyuk teases.

Renjun just shrugs and flops onto his taller friend so that his head is lying on Donghyuk’s chest and then he reaches over to grab the vocalist’s right hand with his left one so they’re both hugging and cuddling. Donghyuk responds by draping his left arm on Renjun’s back to hold him closer and interlacing their fingers with the hand that Renjun’s holding. The beta squeezes Donghyuk’s hand briefly before letting go and then pulling the omega’s arm up until the scent gland on Donghyuk’s wrist is close to his face. He waits until the taller boy hums to give him confirmation to scent him before the beta rubs his cheek on the scent gland. It’s a nice, calming feeling and the beta smells like fresh rain which also helps. Once he’s done, the beta gently lays Donghyuk’s arm back down and then whispers,

“I would’ve scented your neck too but it looks swollen so I didn’t want to hurt you.”

“Oh I didn’t even notice. You can if you want to though I’m fine with it and it might actually help,” the omega muses.

“Are you sure?”

  
  
“Yeah.”

“Ok,” the other vocalist says happily.

He pushes himself off of Donghyuk’s chest to reposition himself so that his face is near the omega’s neck and then begins scenting. Donghyuk winces a little when Renjun’s nose first touches his sensitive scent gland and the other quickly apologizes, but the omega just whispers back that it’s ok. After that, things go much smoother. Even though Renjun’s a beta, he’s good at scenting, he’s always been good at it. His slightly older friend lightly ghosts his nose back and forth across the scent gland a few times, almost putting Donghyuk to sleep again, before pulling back after he’s satisfied. The vocalist’s hand, which had never left Renjun’s back, playfully yanks the shorter boy back down and so that the omega can scent his friend back.

Donghyuk brings both his hands up to grab Renjun’s face, laughs at his wide eyes, and then proceeds to rub his cheek all over Renjun’s face. The beta whines and groans about how Donghyuk is suffocating him, but he doesn’t pull back, not even when the omega makes Renjun look down so he can scent the top of his head. When Donghyuk eventually finishes torturing his friend, he lets go of his face and laughs as Renjun fake gags at him. The two of them smirk at each other before finally settling down again with Renjun resuming his position of laying on Donghyuk’s chest and holding his friend’s hand. 

“Can we sleep now?” Renjun teases, but Donghyuk hears the underlying concern.

“Yeah, I’m tired.”   
  


“Ok see you in the morning,” Renjun whispers.

“Night.”

Even though his day was horrible and he almost broke down multiple times, he finds himself easily drifting off to sleep. It’s probably Renjun’s Johnny’s and Taeyong’s doing if he’s honest. They all made sure he was ok and tried to help them in their own ways and that meant a lot to him, especially after his fight with Mark. He just hopes that the two of them can sort everything out soon because he hates fighting with his best friend. Hopefully, Mark will give him another chance.


	3. Chapter 3

When Donghyuk emerges into consciousness again, it’s because he feels like he’s burning alive and also being punched repeatedly in the stomach. He blearily opens his eyes and takes in the light in the bedroom. It’s morning already. Everything is hazy and it feels like he has a fever. Donghyuk tries to move his body but finds that he’s frozen. He freaks out for a moment before realizing that he can’t move because he’s got a small beta on top of him. As much as he loves cuddling with his members, especially Renjun, now is not the time. Donghyuk carefully moves Renjun to the side and maneuvers around him to get off the bed. He stands up too quickly and almost falls, but he steadies himself at the last second. The omega opens the door as quietly as he can and slips outside into the hallway. He stops in the hallway for a second to assess what’s going on when he realizes that most of the members are gone. He can’t smell Jeno or Jaemin at all and it’s the morning which means they probably already left for their own schedules. He also notices that the door to the heat room is empty which means Chenle is also gone.

Donghyuk worriedly makes his way to the heat room and peers inside. He can still smell Chenle’s heat scent strongly, but he’s clearly not there. His inner omega starts to freak out at the prospect that their youngest omega is missing when he finally decides to stop his thoughts from spiraling. The other members were with Chenle the whole time yesterday, they would have never have let Chenle leave all of a sudden. There must be a reason, he’ll just have to ask Renjun or Jisung since he can still smell the young alpha’s scent. That means there are only three of them in the dorm right now. 

After he reassures himself that Chenle is probably fine, he makes his way back to the bathroom. The first thing he does is splash cold water all over his face and even gets some of it on his shirt. It does nothing to help with the heat or the pain, and he ends up sighing in frustration. The pain he’s in is very similar to the pain he was in when he first started getting terrible cramps in high school. And that’s when he realizes. He’s in heat, and he doesn’t have his pills. Panic starts to set in soon after that and Donghyuk finds that he can’t rein his scent in like he did yesterday. He tries to put up the mental block he did yesterday when he was suppressing his scent, but it’s futile.

The fear and realization that the pain and other symptoms are about to get worse is messing with him. His hormones are already out of whack and that combined with his already unstable emotional state is not doing him any favors. He can’t tell if he’s just psyched himself out or if the pain really is getting worse, but his stomach is killing him. The pain is excruciating enough that he might actually be sick even though he didn’t eat anything for dinner yesterday or this morning. 

Donghyuk weakly hauls himself over the toilet and plans on kneeling in front of it, but he ends up just slumping against the wall next to the toilet on the floor. The room is spinning, he feels like he’s boiling, his stomach is rebelling against him, and there are too many scents. He needs to get help, he needs to move, he needs Mark. Mark will help him, but first, he’ll just close his eyes for a little bit. Just a few minutes, just until he feels less like passing out…

Renjun woke up to a cold bed. When he opened his eyes earlier he expected to still be cuddling with Donghyuk, but the omega was missing. He had quickly reached for his phone on the floor to see if his friend had texted him and was instead met with texts from Jeno and Jaemin. The other two 00 line members had already left that morning for their schedules but hadn’t woken him and Donghyuk because they had figured the other two needed rest. Jaemin had specifically told him to feed the omega and to also make sure to take care of himself. Renjun had smiled at the message before quickly fixing his hair and leaving his phone on the bed to go to the kitchen. That’s when he smelled it. He didn’t know how he missed it earlier, but the second he steps out of their room, he smells the distinct scent of an omega in heat along with distress pheromones. It’s coming from the bathroom. Renjun rushes to the bathroom and freezes at the entrance. Donghyuk is slumped against the wall near the toilet holding his stomach in pain in looking like death.

The beta crashes in front of the omega and quickly brushes the hair in front of his forehead back to take his temperature. He’s burning. Renjun has been around Donghyuk and Chenle enough during their heats to recognize when something is wrong, and this is not normal. Donghyuk does get hot, but he’s never produced this much sweat before and he’s certainly never looked so sick. This is not a normal heat. The fact that he’s also in a lot of pain and producing distress pheromones is also another negative sign. Renjun grabs Donghyuk’s face carefully and looks into his dazed eyes.

“Hyuk can you hear me!?” Renjun asks nervously.

Donghyuk only hums in response before flinching violently when he’s hit by another wave of intense cramps. Renjun hovers worriedly above him and tries to release calming pheromones even though he’s far from calm. He moves his hands to rest on Donghyuk’s shoulders and squeezes gently as he tries to think of what to do. He needs to get help, but he can’t leave Donghyuk here alone. He’ll just have to run and grab his phone really quick so he can call Taeyong and Johnny. He would call Mark but Johnny said he and Donghyuk fought yesterday so that’s probably not the best idea.

“I’ll be right back ok? I’m just going to grab my phone, you’re going to be ok,” Renjun soothes before rising to his feet. He steps to the doorway and is about to leave when he rams right into someone. 

“Ow!”

The beta looks up accusingly to see what he ran into and meets Jisung’s dark eyes. His pupils have doubled in size and the air is becoming thicker with his alpha pheromones by the second. Renjun feels himself start to shrink back in obedience, but he fights it. Now is not the time to submit. He can’t let Jisung any closer to Donghyuk or the young alpha may lose control and Renjun doesn’t think he’ll be able to win that fight. He needs to stop it now.

“Jisungie,” Renjun calls sweetly. “There’s nothing to see here, just come with me.”

Jisung stares down at the smaller male, breathing heavily, and Renjun starts to panic when the younger alpha just nods. Renjun gapes in shock before leaping into action and grabbing the maknae’s hand and pulling him back to his own room. 

“Jisungie are you with me?”

Even though the younger's eyes are dark and his scent is heavy, Jisung seems to be pretty aware of what’s happening which surprises Renjun. Usually, alphas have a hard time controlling themselves around an omega in heat, and when Chenle was in heat the other day they had a hard time pulling the other away from the Chinese boy.

“Yeah I’m with you,” the younger responds evenly.

“Huh, ok then. Listen, I need you to go get Johnny and Taeyong. There’s something wrong with Hyukie, his heat isn’t normal and we need their help. I would call them but it would be faster if one of us just got them, are you ok to do that?”

  
  
“Yeah don’t worry I got it! I know it doesn’t look like I’m in control but I am,” Jisung reassures. “I-I think Chenle might be my true mate so I’m not too affected by Donghyuk-hyung,” the alpha confesses shyly.

_ Well, that explains a lot  _ Renjun thinks.

“Ok great! I’m going to go back and see if I can help Hyuk and you go get Taeyong and Johnny.”

Jisung nods and the two of them quickly head out. Renjun runs back to the bathroom and attempts to help the omega into a standing position. They can’t stay in the bathroom. Renjun needs to move him to the heat room. It’s safer there and there are supplies in there that might help. 

  
  
“Ok Hyuk I’ve got you.”

  
  
Renjun loops one of Donghyuk’s arms around his shoulders and shakily rises to his feet. Even though he’s in pain, the omega tries to help Renjun as best he can. The two of them struggle to make their way to the heat room with Renjun bearing most of the weight, but they do it. Renjun gently helps the omega onto the bed and bites his lip anxiously at his friend’s condition. There’s something very wrong. He steals one last glance at his friend before heading back to the bathroom to dig through their medicine cabinet. He pulls out some painkillers, grabs a cup of water, and dampens a washcloth with cold water before heading back. 

He hears Jisung rummaging through the drawers, probably looking for the dorm keys to lock the door, as he heads back to the room. When Renjun places the cool cloth on Donghyuk’s forehead he sees how the omega whines and knows that he’s probably overheating. Maybe it would be best if he ran a cold bath then-

“Chenle?” The omega asks weakly, cutting off Renjun’s train of thought.

Renjun frowns in confusion when he realizes that the older omega must sense that the other maknae is gone.

“Don’t worry about Chenle, he’s fine. His mom came and got him yesterday after she heard that Chenle was in heat. She figured it would be best for everyone especially during this time.”

  
  
“Mmmmkay. Mark?”

“...what about Mark?” Renjun asks carefully. He assumes that maybe Donghyuk is worried about the fight they had the other day or something else, but he does not expect what the omega says next.

“I smell him. Mark’s here,” Donghyuk murmurs. 

“What? No, that’s not possible. Why would he be here?”

  
  
Just then, there’s a large bang and Renjun jumps back. It’s the front door. He doesn’t just smell Jisung now, he also smells Mark’s distinct earthy and fiery scent starting to flood the dorm. Donghyuk was right, but Renjun really wishes he wasn’t. The beta grabs the bottle of painkillers and puts them next to Donghyuk’s hand.

  
  
“I’ll be right back, take these before then,” Renjun instructs tightly as he grabs the water and puts it closer to the edge of the table so the vocalist can reach it. 

With that, the beta exits the room and sprints to the front door. He immediately starts coughing the second he enters the living room with the amount of alpha pheromones in the air. He’s never been so glad to be a beta before, it means he’s able to withstand more alpha pheromones. Mark had walked in just as Jisung was leaving and now the two alphas are growling aggressively and releasing dominating pheromones to try and get the other to submit. Renjun covers his nose with one hand and surges forward to latch onto Jisung’s arm. Luckily, the younger alpha is still receptive to him.

“I’ll handle Mark! You go get help!” Renjun shouts.

“What?! Hyung no! If I leave then what will happen to you two?!”

  
  
“I’m the best shot at calming Mark down right now! His inner alpha is starting to come out and once he smells Hyuk it’ll just get worse! I can use my calming pheromones and try to talk him down but if you stay he’ll just get more aggressive! We need to act fast because once he stops smelling your alpha pheromones he'll start picking up on Hyuk's scent,” Renjun tries to reason.

The beta watches as Jisung looks between him and Mark before eventually caving. He nods curtly at Renjun and the older boy quickly seizes the opportunity to run up to Mark and pull his head down into his scent gland on his neck. He sees Jisung run for the door and disappear soon after and shifts his focus to releasing as many calming pheromones as he can. It’s a little awkward because Mark is taller than him and all, but he thinks it’s working. He feels the alpha sniffing around his scent gland and is glad to let him continue when the alpha suddenly freezes. Renjun realizes that he’s stopped emitting pheromones and tries to pick back up, but it’s too late. He’s already smelled Donghyuk on him. Unlike Jisung’s eyes, Mark’s are starting to turn red and his scent is much more potent, more protective, more dominant. He’s giving in to his alpha side too much. Mark suddenly reaches out and grabs both of Renjun’s arms harshly, trapping him in place. Renjun’s never been afraid of Mark, and he never will be, but the alpha he’s staring at right now is terrifying. 

“You smell like him. Where is he?” The older male growls.

Instead of answering, Renjun tries one last attempt at appealing to Mark’s human side.

“M-Mark-hyung are you in there? Please come back! I know you’d never want to hurt Hyuk! He’s in bad shape and he needs your help. I don’t care what you two fought about the other day but he needs you! Come on hyung!” Renjun cries desperately.

The younger boy sees a flicker of recognition in Mark’s eyes, but it fades quickly once the alpha eventually picks up on Donghyuk’s heat scent. Renjun can see it in the way the alpha’s pupils become wider instead of more red as he feels the possessiveness hit him and he can feel it in the way that Mark starts squeezing his arms tighter to the point that it’s painful. Now that he’s really paying attention, Renjun can smell how Donghyuk’s distressed scent has increased to the point that it’s almost stronger than his heat scent, the painkillers must not have worked. Renjun decides to take a chance when he sees that Mark seems to be having some internal battle with himself, he’s probably realized what Renjun has, and the beta yanks himself out of Alpha’s grasp.

Mark is too slow to react and Renjun easily evades him to tear down the hallway and duck into the heat room. He shuts the door behind him as fast as he can, even though he knows that Mark will probably be able to get through, and stands protectively over the bed. Donghyuk is curled up in a tight ball whimpering in pain and it’s like a stab to Renjun’s heart. He hates seeing their brightest member, his comedic partner, and amazing friend in this state. He reaches out to feel Donghyuk’s forehead again, but he can feel the heat radiating off of him even from this far away. Then the door is slammed open. Renjun is expecting it this time though and turns around to face Mark while also trying to block his view of the omega.

The alpha is clearly responding to Donghyuk’s distress and wants to do something. He growls when Renjun tries to block his way again when he tries to step around the beta. Renjun moves to get in front of Mark again when he steps closer to the bed, but he’s stopped by a hand grabbing onto his wrist. Renjun looks over his shoulder, surprised, and sees that Donghyuk has unfurled himself slightly so he can maintain his weak grip on Renjun. It looks like he’s barely conscious and he’s clearly suffering but he makes a point to look the beta in the face to convey his seriousness.

“Injunie don’t. He might hurt you,” the omega warns. 

“But if I don’t do something he might hurt you,” Renjun counters.

He hears the alpha let out another snarl in front of him, but he doesn’t tear his eyes away from his friend.

  
“He won’t. I can feel it. His alpha’s just mad that you’re preventing him from helping me. Mark’s always been protective; he's not going to hurt me. My omega can feel it, I’m not scared,” Donghyuk says with conviction.

  
It’s weird. Despite their fight the other day and how much he had suffered, he still trusts Mark wholeheartedly. He can sense that Mark is only acting this way because he’s being protective and he can sense that he’s mad for not making up with Donghyuk earlier. He’s not truly mad at him and Donghyuk knows that he’ll be ok and that he has to be the one to calm Mark’s alpha down. But he doesn’t want Renjun to get caught in the crossfire because what he doesn’t know is how Mark’s alpha will react to someone else in this situation.

“Hyuk I don’t know-,”

That’s when Donghyuk is hit by another round of cramps and he instantly curls back up, face contorted in pain and breathing uneven as he tries to cope with everything. Renjun is harshly pushed to the side before he even registers that Mark has moved and just watches as the alpha approaches the bed. He’ll have to trust Donghyuk on this one, but if Mark makes any suspicious moves then Renjun is jumping in. 

Mark’s anger seems to dissipate the instant he touches the omega. The alpha’s now gentle actions are a huge contrast to what he was like earlier. He places a firm, but gentle hand on top of Donghyuk’s head and the omega leans into his palm. Mark begins to pet the omega in a soothing fashion and Renjun smells as his scent goes from a potent fiery one to a stable, more earthy one. He’s letting off less alpha pheromones in general, they’re still possessive but now it’s not as strong. Mark eventually moves to sit on the very edge of the bed so he can carefully gather the omega into his arms before lifting him up. Donghyuk nuzzles into Mark’s chest and grabs a fistful of his shirt so hard that his knuckles turn white. He’s trying his best to not break down and being held by his alpha is definitely helping, but he needs his pills.

The alpha carefully cradles the omega closer to him as he walks towards the front door. Now that he’s got Donghyuk in his arms; the possessive haze that was overtaking him earlier has disappeared. He’s still very much on edge and feeling protective because Donghyuk is obviously in pain, but now he’s not just running on pure instinct. Mark knew the second he smelled the omega in pain that it was heat cramps. He has to get him back to the 127 dorms where his medication is. That way he can stop suffering and Mark can watch over him. Renjun follows the pair obediently, probably to make sure Mark doesn’t hurt Donghyuk, but Mark doesn’t really care. The alpha has Renjun hold the door open for them, but he doesn’t even make it through before he’s being growled at.

Taeyong, Johnny, and Jisung are standing in front of Mark, each of them looking like they want to snatch Donghyuk out of his arms. Mark’s eyes flash red again and he tightens his grip on the omega.

“Mark, what are you doing?” Johnny warns lowly.

“I’m taking Hyuk back to our dorm,” the alpha bites back.

Johnny narrows his eyes at the rapper.

“Mark, he’s in heat, you need to leave him here,” Taeyong jumps in.

“No! You don’t understand! Hyuk needs his heat pills and they’re at our dorm!”

“What?” The leader asks seriously.

Johnny, Jisung, and Renjun all look at each other in shock. 

“Hyung please, we need to go now,” Mark begs.

His aggressive scent starts to take on worried tones as he feels how hot Donghyuk is in his arms and how lifeless he seems to be. What’s equally as worrying is how weak Donghyuk’s scent is even though he’s in heat. They need to act fast.

“Mark, can’t we just bring the pills to you?” Johnny tries to suggest.

The younger alpha shuts him down. Technically they could, but that would take longer because Mark would have to explain where they were and he wouldn’t be able to watch over Donghyuk that way. Taeyong and Johnny would make him leave Donghyuk at the dream dorm and separate them if one of the two of them went to go get the pills. 

“No. I want to stay with him.”

  
  
“Mark-,” Johnny begins.

“Hyung please,” Renjun desperately adds. “Hyukie trusts Mark. He’d want to be with Mark-hyung too and I think it might actually be worse if you separated them right now.”

  
  
Taeyong shifts his intense gaze to look at Renjun and ends up softening it when he sees the beta flinch backward slightly.

“Ok I believe you. Let’s go, but when we get back you have to have your door open at all times if you’re with Donghyuk,” The leader commands.

“Ok,” the younger easily submits. 

Johnny and Jisung still look unsure, but they let Mark pass. Fortunately, the 127 members had brought a car so all six of them cram into it and they speedily make their way back to the other dorm. Mark holds Donghyuk the entire time. The other boy doesn’t stir. His breathing is more shallow and his scent is barely there.

“Why can’t I smell him?” The alpha wonders out loud.

“I think he’s gone into some hibernation-like state,” Renjun answers from beside him.

“What?”   


“His body’s been under a lot of stress, and sometimes omegas will go into a forced drop if their inner omega senses that the body is in distress. He was in a lot of pain earlier and he’s in heat so that’s my best guess. But don’t worry!” The beta placates when he sees Mark’s panicked face. “He’ll come out of it once we get some of the symptoms under control.”

  
  
“Oh. How do you know all this?”

  
  
“I paid attention in health class,” the beta replies cheekily.

Mark rolls his eyes but he smiles at the smaller boy anyway.

“Injunie.”

  
  
It’s rare for Mark to call Renjun by his nickname so he immediately captures the younger boy’s attention. The vocalist looks up at him with curious eyes.

“Thanks for watching over Hyuk. And sorry for scaring you earlier I know I was kinda aggressive and I’m sorry if I hurt you,” the alpha apologizes sincerely. 

Renjun smiles at him and then reaches over to touch Donghyuk’s arm lightly.

“I forgive you. I’ve never really been afraid of you attacking me anyway, but your alpha was intimidating so I’d rather not go through that again. Anyway, Hyukie was never afraid of you, even when he was all delirious and you were being all alpha-y on us.”

  
  
“Really?”   


  
“Yeah. He said so himself, but I think I should stop talking now. This sounds like something you two should talk about,” the beta laughs.

“Alright we’re here!” Johnny yells from the front a few minutes later. Mark carefully gets out of the car with Renjun’s help and makes sure Donghyuk is secure in his arms before walking.

Someone must have texted the 127 members the situation because when they arrive they have a clear path. The dorm is usually very lively and loud, but for once it’s silent. Mark wastes no time and quickly heads to the bathroom with Johnny and Renjun right on his tail. Johnny starts running cold water as Mark and Renjun struggle to get some of the omega’s clothes off. His shirt is soaked in sweat as well as his pants so those take a while to get off, but they manage. Renjun frowns in sympathy when he feels how hot his friend is. The two of them then carefully place Donghyuk into the tub with Mark remaining by his head to prevent him from falling in.

Donghyuk’s eyes remain closed and Mark studies his face intensely, looking for any sign of movement. 

“I’ll go get the pills,” Renjun whispers suddenly. “Where did you put them?”

  
  
“They’re in the corner of the kitchen counter, near the toaster,” the alpha whispers back.

Renjun nods at him before dipping out of the bathroom. The rapper then turns back to watching over Donghyuk and feels slightly encouraged that his breathing is more even.

“He’s going to be ok,” Johnny encourages from his seat on the toilet lid.

Mark looks over to his right slightly to look at his hyung.

“Yeah, but I can’t help but feel bad.”

  
  
The older alpha frowns. 

“What do you mean?”

  
  
“I can’t help feeling like this is my fault. I stressed Hyuk out because of our fight when he was already under a lot of pressure, and then he went into heat early and he didn’t even have his pills because of our dumb argument. I had them and now he’s like this.”

  
  
“Mark. This is not entirely your fault. Yes, the fight may have been bad but I’m sure that both of you said things that weren’t so nice. To be honest I think Hyuk may have had his heat early anyway because of all the stress that he’s putting on himself. Donghyuk’s heat isn’t really something you can control, and anyway, you showed up when he needed you. You didn’t hurt him even when he was in a very vulnerable position and you were in alpha mode. He also trusted you despite the fight, at least that’s what Renjun said. That should tell you something, but I do think you guys need to talk about this.”

Mark takes a moment to digest what Johnny said as he plays with Donghyuk’s hair. He occasionally brushes over his forehead and sighs a little in relief when he realizes he isn't burning up anymore. He's still hot, but not alarmingly so which means that the cold bath is working.

“Thanks hyung,” Mark eventually replies. “I’ll definitely talk to him, you’re right we need to figure this out.”

Johnny smiles at him and at that moment Renjun returns with the pill bottle and a glass of water. He loosens the lid a little and then puts it in the corner of the bathtub with the water where Mark is sitting so he can reach it when it’s time.

“Hey Johnny-hyung,” the beta announces.

“Yeah?”

  
  
“Taeyong-hyung wants to see you.”   


  
“Oh. Ok.”

  
  
The alpha pats Mark’s shoulder comfortingly before heading out with Renjun. Mark knows that Renjun only said that so he can have some alone time with his friend, but he appreciates it. He also appreciates how Johnny went along with it even though he could tell that his hyung wanted to stay and watch over their maknae. When Donghyuk wakes up, Mark’s going to make sure he knows how sorry the alpha is and he’s going to make sure that this fight doesn’t ruin their relationship. He cares way too much about Donghyuk to let some emotional fight get between them.

He gently places a hand on top of the omega's head and smiles sadly at his relaxed face. Donghyuk looks so tired and small in this position and Mark just wants to protect him from everything.

"Hyukie. Please wake up soon, I miss you and I just want to apologize. I know I'm really bad at expressing it, but you mean a lot to me and I just- I'm worried," the alpha whispers. "Please, just come back to me," he ends up finishing. 

He doesn't even care about the fight anymore, all he wants is for Donhyuk to be ok. He'll apologize as many times as he needs to and he's prepared to pour his heart out to the omega, but he needs Donghyuk to wake up first. And he'll wait by his side as long as it takes.


	4. Chapter 4

The first thing Donghyuk realizes when he wakes up again is that he’s cold. It’s the complete opposite of the intense burning he was experiencing this morning. The second thing he notices is that Mark is sitting on the edge of the bathtub calmly running a hand through Donghyuk’s hair. When he realizes that the omega is awake he gives him a soft smile and Donghyuk feels himself melting. He missed this. He’s not entirely sure what happened since he was in a delirious state until recently, but he is positive that Mark was there.

The alpha suddenly reaches slightly behind him to grab a bottle of pills and a glass of water. It’s Donghyuk’s heat medication. The omega gives him a dubious look and allows the older boy to pour out two pills in the palm of his hand and hold them out. Donghyuk smiles, but he thinks it may come off as more of a grimace since he’s still in pain and pulls a hand out of the water to accept the pills. He pops them into his mouth, and with Mark’s help, drinks some of the water to swallow them. The alpha leans back once he makes sure that the vocalist finishes the rest of the water and gives him a concerned look.

“How do you feel?”

“Better. Definitely not as hot. My stomach still hurts but it’s not as bad as before. I think my panic was just making it worse, the meds will definitely help though.”

“Ok, good. I’m glad, and I’m sorry.”

“What?”

  
  
Donghyuk slowly slides himself up against the bathtub wall so he sees Mark’s face better. He looks to the right and searches Mark’s face, but the alpha won’t look him in the eyes. The 00 liner sighs deeply and pulls his right arm out of the water so he can hit his friend in the arm.

“Ow! What was that for?” Mark accuses indignantly. 

Donghyuk just rolls his eyes.

“Hyung, that did not hurt. I hit you lightly, it’s not like I punched you.”

  
  
“But you got me wet,” the alpha counters.

“And I’ll do it again if you don’t start talking! Why are you acting all weird? And why are you apologizing?”

  
  
“I’m not acting weird! And I’m apologizing because I’m sorry about the fight earlier, I’m sorry for scaring you, and I’m sorry for being so mean to you doing practice. I’m just-,”

Donghyuk cuts him before he can apologize any further.

“Mark, you better not be about to say sorry again. I’m not mad at you or anything anymore. I don’t really know what happened, but I still trust you. I did even when I was feeling like crap earlier.”

  
  
“But why?”

  
  
“Why what?”

Mark pauses for a second and Donghyuk can practically see the gears in his head turning.

“Renjun told me that you weren’t afraid of me at all even when I was in alpha mode when I came to come check on you. Obviously that was not the plan, and I’m really sorry but I’m also really confused so that’s why I’m asking. Why did you trust me even though I totally could have attacked you and even after our bad fight?”

“Yeah I vaguely remember that. It’s all kinda hazy but I do remember feeling an odd sense of calm even though you were acting pretty crazy and being aggressive with Injun. I’ve never been afraid of you attacking me, and even though we fought and you were in alpha mode I knew that you would never hurt me. It’s kinda hard to describe, but I could just feel that you were there to help and that you would never intentionally hurt me. I guess my inner omega fully trusts you,” Donghyuk finishes truthfully.

“Oh.”

  
There’s a solid five seconds of silence before Donghyuk glares playfully at Mark.

“Oh is all you have to say?! I just told you I trusted you you big dork!” 

  
  
Mark laughs at that.

“Ok! I’m sorry! I was just thinking ok? I’m glad you trust me because I trust you too. And I also wanted to talk about our fight a little if you’re ok with that?”

  
  
“Is this counseling hour?” Donghyuk jokes but he ends up nodding anyway. “I’m fine with that. It needed to happen anyway. I would prefer we do this when we’re not in the bathroom but I guess there’s no other way for us to be alone right now without Taeyong strangling you, so it’ll do.”

“Ok. First of all, I’m sorry again. I didn’t mean what I said, I was just angry. I thought that you didn’t trust me because you usually tell me everything, and then all of a sudden I find out that you're keeping something from me and I guess I kinda felt betrayed. I don’t know why, but I felt like I was entitled to know? I know I wasn’t but that’s just what was going through my head. I don’t know, I just felt like I could have helped or something. So sorry again, I know it wasn’t my place to push you. I shouldn’t have demanded that you tell me what the pills were for and I’m sorry for yelling at you. I didn’t mean to make it sound like your problem wasn’t significant, I was just mad and was preparing for the worst.”

The omega beams at his friend and reaches out to grab the other’s hand. Mark doesn’t even complain at the fact that Donghyuk got him wet again.

“I forgive you! And I’m sorry too. I didn’t tell you not because I didn’t trust you, but it was embarrassing and my family didn’t even really talk about it. They helped me by getting me medication, but they didn’t want to talk about it and then I couldn’t figure out how to tell you. I was afraid that something might go wrong or that you’d be angry or something dumb like that and then I just ended up chickening out every time I tried to tell you. I passed out at school and then one of our classmates had to bring me to the nurses office and then the nurse called my parents and it was just mortifying! That’s why I didn’t tell you in high school, but after that I don’t really have an excuse. That was just me being scared and I’m sorry I really should have told you earlier. Also, I’m sorry for what I said to you during the fight. I know that you genuinely wanted to help me, not just because I’m an omega and you’re an alpha.”

When Donghyuk finishes, Mark gives him the most endearing smile ever and the omega is suddenly hit by a strong urge to kiss him. Mark is looking at him like he’s the literal sun and he just looks so perfect right now with his soft brown eyes and adorable dimples. Donghyuk pushes himself forward off the bathtub wall and adjusts himself so he’s directly facing the rapper before the other leans in until their noses are almost touching.

“Hey,” the other breathes quietly. Donghyuk can feel his breath ghosting across his face and it sends chills down his spine in a good way. The omega just stares into Mark’s eyes expectantly.

“I forgive you too, and you were right when you said that I didn't just want to help you because of my biology. I wanted to help you because I care about you, I always have ever since we met and I’m always going to want the best for you. But I don’t want to be just any alpha, I want to be  _ your  _ alpha. Will you be my boyfriend?”

Mark says it with so much conviction and sincerity and Donghyuk just falls for him even harder. Hearing the rapper confess to him out loud makes his inner omega sing and he’s overwhelmed by the feeling of joy a second later. Mark Lee actually wants him, he wants to be Donghyuk’s alpha. Mark doesn’t move an inch after he’s done, patiently waiting for Donghyuk’s reaction even though the omega can tell that he’s bursting with energy. Instead of replying, Donghyuk reaches out to hold onto the alpha’s shoulders and then kisses him. The rapper doesn’t even hesitate to kiss back and it’s the best feeling the omega’s ever had. He feels elated and so in love knowing that his childhood friend, his long-time crush, reciprocates his feelings.

He smells Mark’s earthy and firey scent surrounding him like a warm blanket and it makes his inner omega preen. In turn, he can see how his own sweet, honey scent is affecting Mark because the alpha is grinning widely and looks perfectly blissed out. He can smell the happy tones in both their scents and gains the courage to deepen the kiss. And he would continue kissing his new boyfriend if it weren’t for the sudden gagging noise he hears.

Donghyuk pulls away first, startled, and whips his head to the side to see Renjun fake gagging at them. 

“Gross! If I knew you two were just going to make out then I wouldn’t have come back!” 

“Injunnie come on it’s not that bad! We were just kissing!”

“Renjun, you totally killed the mood,” Mark pipes in.

“Good,” the beta retorts, “I didn’t need to walk in on anything more than this.”

  
Just then, Taeyong and Johnny appear behind Renjun and the two of them instantly narrow their eyes at the pair. Taeyong reacts first and pushes his way into the bathroom to grab Mark by the arm. His scent is stable, so the leader isn’t mad, but he looks entirely serious. He pulls Mark away from Donghyuk and to his feet and then stands in the middle to face both of them.

“I’m glad you two sorted things out and I promise you’ll have time to be with each other again, but for now you guys need to be separated. Hyuk’s heat is about to come back full force and I don’t want you two trying to mate right now, you’re too young.”

  
  
Donghyuk gives the leader his best puppy dog eyes and Mark whines, but Taeyong doesn’t cave. Fortunately, though, none of them make a move to protest. Obviously, they want to stay together, but they also know that Taeyong is right.

“So we can’t even cuddle a little?” Mark tries to negotiate. 

“No. I’m sorry, not right now. Hyuk can stay in the heat room in our dorm though so you’ll be able to be kind of close to him. No cuddling though, I don’t want you getting any ideas but you can see him in three days when he’s heat is over.”

  
  
The rapper looks like he wants to protest because one of the reasons he brought Hyuk over to the apartment was so that he could be beside him and watch over him. However, he knows Taeyong is not going to budge on this subject so he’ll just have to compromise with having Hyuk stay in their dorm.

“Ok fine,” the alpha sighs dramatically. 

“Renjun, help Donghyuk to the heat room. Mark and Johnny, let’s go talk in the kitchen with Jisung for a little bit,” the leader commands.

After that, everyone quietly obeys Taeyong’s orders, but there’s no hard feelings or aggression this time. Donghyuk and Mark are fine, well more than fine, and the omega knows that his alpha is in good hands while he’s away. Now all he has to do is ride out this dumb heat and then he can properly cuddle with his new boyfriend.

  
  


* * *

Over the span of three days, a lot happens. Renjun helps take care of Donghyuk during the first day along with Doyoung and Jungwoo, but after that he goes back to the dream dorm. Taeyong told the beta that he was probably needed more with the younger subunit. Mark made sure to thank Renjun properly for taking care of his boyfriend and also apologized for being so aggressive for the second time. Obviously the beta had teased his hyung for a little bit, but he ended up forgiving him very quickly.

Word about the whole ordeal spread very quickly between all the members. Chenle had finished his heat and was immediately filled in on what happened by Jisung, and Renjun had pretty much told the rest of Dream what happened the same day of the incident. The beta hadn’t really had much of a choice anyway because Jaemin and Jeno had grilled him the second they smelled the strong alpha pheromones and Donghyuk’s heat scent on him. Taeyong had also filled in the 127 members on what was going on, so by the time Donghyuk had finally finished his heat three days later, everyone knew what happened. They also knew about Mark finally asking Donghyuk out, courtesy of Renjun. 

The omega knows everyone knows because they’re not very quiet when they’re gossiping, and he also knows by the bashful look Mark has on his face when they finally see each other again. He’s not really that mad though, it was going to have to happen sometime. He’s currently sitting on the bed in a thin t-shirt and shorts after just having showered. Heat always makes him feel sticky and gross afterward so the first thing he does is shower. Mark is standing in front of him giving him a fond smile and holding out one of his large hoodies out for Donghyuk to take. The omega quickly pulls on the hoodie and sighs in contentment. It’s warm, it’s oversized, and it smells strongly of Mark’s earthy yet spicy scent, it’s perfect. 

“How are you feeling?” The alpha asks curiously.

“Much better! But why are you acting so shy all of a sudden?”

  
  
Mark pouts, but it instantly turns into a hopeful grin a second later.

“Can I scent you?”

  
  
Donghyuk laughs at his behavior and reaches out to grab his hand so he can pull him closer. Donghyuk buries his head into Mark’s stomach and wraps his arms around his waist while Mark, in turn, wraps his arms around Donghyuk’s shoulders and lets his chin rest lightly on the top of the omega’s head. Donghyuk feels him start to slowly rub the rest of his face across the top of his head, attempting to scent every inch, and he lets out a satisfied hum. When he’s done, he pushes Donghyuk back a little, but just enough so that he can bend down and stick his nose in the scent gland on the vocalist’s neck. He scents there as well and is about to pull all the way back when Donghyuk quickly gives him a peck on the lips before he gets too far away.    
  
Mark laughs lightly at him and gives him a peck back before taking a seat on the edge of the bed next to him. He pulls Donghyuk into his side for another quick hug and then flops backward, taking Donghyuk with him, so they’re both laying on their backs looking at the ceiling. 

“Hey, can we talk about something?” Mark states evenly, “and don’t worry it’s not bad. It’s just something that’s been on my mind,” he adds on.

“Ok, I trust you. So we’re good?”

  
  
“Yeah, we’re good! I just wanted to make sure that you’ll be ok.”

  
  
“What do you mean?”

  
  
“I’ve just been thinking about everything that went down these past few weeks, well more like months. I’m not the only one who noticed that you were off. We all noticed that you were tired and that you were stretching yourself too thin because you were too busy taking care of everyone else. But we worry about you too, you know? You need to take care of yourself! Did you know that Renjun has been pestering me for the last few weeks about watching over you when you’re with 127? Taeyong-hyung, Johnny-hyung, and Doyoung-hyung have also been really worried about you. I just want to make sure that you know that you can depend on us, you don’t have to do everything by yourself.”

Donghyuk knows that Mark’s always been like this. He’s always been so sentimental and so caring even if he doesn’t show it all the time, but Donghyuk has known him long enough that he understands how it is. Even though he knows this is how Mark is, he’s still touched by his words and ends up snuggling further into his side at the sweet gesture. He knows he’s loved, by Mark and the other members.

“I know I don’t have to do everything by myself,” the omega replies and he cuts Mark off when he sees the alpha start to interject, “But it’s hard not to try. I’ve always felt like I’ve had to be independent, be a good hyung, be a good idol, be perfect. I think the stress of our schedules was just really getting to me and it was bringing out my bad habit of trying to help everyone else so I didn’t have to think about my own problems. I think I was too busy worrying about everyone else that I didn’t realize I was pushing myself too far, and I didn’t realize that you guys had noticed,” Donghyyk admits quietly.

Mark hums to let him know he heard.

“I thought you might say that. And you're already perfect," Donghyuk laughs lightly at that, and Mark continues. "I just want to make sure that you’ll at least talk to me or someone else in the future. We don’t want you to overwork yourself because we love you and we’re here for you.”

  
  
The rapper shifts slightly so he can kiss the top of Donghyuk’s head and the omega nuzzles into him happily. 

“Ok, I got it. Even though it is hard for me to confide in you guys sometimes because it’s a habit, I’ll make sure to try and do it anyway. And I know you guys care and I’m sorry for worrying you. I promise that in the future I’ll talk to you about it!”

  
  
Donghyuk reaches out with his left hand to grab Mark’s free hand that’s resting on his stomach. He gives it a light squeeze and smiles when his boyfriend reciprocates the gesture. Suddenly, Mark sits up abruptly, taking Donghyuk with him, and looks at him excitedly.

“What?” The omega asks curiously.

  
  


“Come on, I’ve got a surprise!”

  
  
“Well, you’re lucky that I like surprises.”

The omega lets his boyfriend gently pull him off the bed and down the hallway until they reach the living room. That’s when he realizes what Mark’s surprise is. He got all of the members together, which is a hard thing to do especially when they’re all in a very busy season. Taeyong gives him a wide smile, which Donghyuk returns, but then he’s suddenly being tackled by their youngest omega. Chenle gives him a tight hug and instantly starts babbling.

“Hyung are you ok? I’m so sorry! I shouldn’t have taken your heat pills. Did you have enough? Are you feeling better? Do you need anything? I’m sorry!”

The younger’s voice is kind of muffled since he has his face in Donghyuk’s hoodie, but the 00 liner still understands. He reaches out and pets Chenle’s hair a few times before prying him away so he can look the other in the eyes. 

  
  
“Chenle,” the omega looks up at him with wide, innocent eyes at his full name, “I’m fine! Also don’t apologize, I had enough pills and obviously I was going to share them with you if you were in pain. Don’t blame yourself. I’m totally fine now!”

“I’d say more than fine,” someone pipes in.

Donghyuk looks over to the sofa to see Jaemin raising his eyebrows at him suggestively after flicking his gaze to where Mark has interlaced their fingers. The omega just sticks his tongue out at his friend in retaliation.

“Well as long as you’re fine then I’m fine,” Chenle concludes.

He gives Donghyuk another hug before bounding over to go cuddle with Jisung who is waiting with open arms. Mark leads him over to the other sofa, where there's an open spot, and pulls the omega onto his lap. He hears various members start to tease them, but he doesn’t really care. He’s the happiest he’s been in a while and he’s got the best boyfriend ever. 

“So actually,” Mark starts. Donghyuk looks up at him curiously. “This was only part of the surprise. The reason everyone is over here is because I figured we could all use the day off and I thought that a giant cuddle pile might be the solution. We’ve all noticed that you’ve been really tired lately, and you’re also just affectionate in general, so I thought this might be a good way to help care for you. You’re always taking care of everyone else all the time, but I think it’s time that you let us help you out a little,” the alpha finishes.

His face is red but he hasn’t stopped staring at Donghyuk and the omega feels his heart swell with affection. Mark really is the most thoughtful alpha ever.

“Well, I think you’re right. A cuddle pile sounds really nice right about now!”

  
  
Donghyuk quickly moves to the floor, pulling Mark with him, and then everyone else moves to join them. By the time they’re all situated, Donghyuk’s got multiple limbs on top of or right next to him. All 18 of them are squished together, but it’s extremely comforting. Donghyuk takes in all the scents surrounding him and feels at ease. He can feel the vibrations starting in his chest and knows that this is exactly what he needed. Donghyuk’s purring in turn triggers the other omegas as they also start to purr contentedly which also causes the alphas and betas to let out a nice mix of soothing and protective pheromones. The alpha’s scents are protective in a way that makes everyone else feel secure rather than provoked. 

Everything is perfect and Donghyuk knows he’s not the only one who feels this way when he looks over and sees multiple members already asleep. He could stay like this forever. When Donghyuk glances back over to look at Mark, he sees the alpha smiling dopily at him and he pokes his cheek playfully.

“What are you smiling at?”

“My boyfriend.”

Donghyuk feels his face turn pink and he laughs, however, he’s not about to be outdone.

“Hey Mark,” the alpha blinks slowly and hums in response. “I love you.”

  
  
Mark gapes a little in shock and then the biggest grin makes its way onto his face.

“I love you too!”

  
  
And then he leans in to kiss the omega and it’s just as exciting as the first time. The past couple of months have been rough and he definitely wishes their fight wasn’t so bad, but in the end, it was worth it. He may still struggle with allowing others to help him, but if this ordeal has taught him anything, it’s that he really is loved, and not just by Mark. Things weren’t perfect before, and they won’t always be in the future, but Donghyuk knows that the moment he’s in right now surrounded by an amazing pack and great boyfriend, is. 


End file.
